What is the ruling on women praying behind men in the mosque if they have a separate area, such as a small room?

The questioner : Many questions have reached us regarding women in this country. A questioner asks: What is the ruling on women praying behind men in a small area in the mosque, given that there is a separate space, such as a room? What is the ruling on this?

The Shaykh : If the place is narrow but the rows of women do not mix with the men, there is no harm in women praying with the men in this narrow place. However, we mention that a woman’s prayer in her home is better for her than her prayer in the mosque of the Muslims, even if it is spacious. This is because there are many, and very many, hadiths encouraging women to adhere to performing the obligatory prayers in their homes. For example, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Women in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to go to the mosques, especially the Prophet’s Mosque, to witness the good and witness the knowledge, especially when the teacher was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Otherwise, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) encouraged the women of his time to pray in their homes. So, if the matter is between a woman praying in her home and praying in the mosque of her people in order to attain knowledge and admonition in that mosque, there is no doubt that her prayer in the mosque is better for her in this case, not specifically for the prayer itself, but specifically for the knowledge. Nevertheless, it is a condition for the women who choose to pray in the mosques that they go out covered in their jilbabs, due to the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the Noble Qur’an: . As for if a woman goes out displaying her adornment, exposing something of her awrah, then she must stay in her home and it is not permissible for her to go out to pray in the mosque, even for the purpose of acquiring knowledge. For this reason, Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: “If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had seen what the women have innovated after him, he would have prevented them from the mosques.” This is what the Lady Aisha said in her time, and there was not in her time the display of adornment seen today by some women, and the smearing of their faces with what is called today makeup, rouge, powder, and the like. This is worse than what happened in the time of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). Therefore, we truly advise Muslim women in any country they may be in not to go out except covered in jilbabs, as the wise Lawgiver has commanded, to the mosque, and on the condition that there is a scholarly benefit in the mosque that they cannot obtain if they adhere to praying in their homes. This is what I have as an answer to this question.